


just to be with you (and fix what is broken)

by serenamarisa



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Multi, basically aaron learning about seb under a fake persona, lots of aaron/seb relationship, rebecca is in it sorry but she's not exactly good, reunion 3.0 WILL happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenamarisa/pseuds/serenamarisa
Summary: "What's your name?" he asked suddenly, looking up from the bag of Haribos in his small hands.Aaron hesitated, "Daniel." he replied, smiling at the boy sat on the bench next to him, "and you?""Seb." the boy grinned widely at him, making Aaron's heart burst.—Aaron travels to Liverpool where he reconciles with an unknowing Seb.
Relationships: Aaron Dingle & Robert Sugden & Seb White, Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 49
Kudos: 93





	1. the first sweet packets

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about writing this for a while now, but i'm not entirely sure how people would react to the topic. Obviously aaron is doing all of this innocently and just wants to be a part of seb's life again and that's all there is to it :)  
> hopefully there aren't too many chapters and it doesn't drag on as i understand there will probably be a lot of dialogue.  
> (if you don't really like Seb then i recommend to give it a miss haha)

_March 2023_

Aaron knew he shouldn't have done it. He knew it was wrong. But there he was, sat on a park bench in Liverpool watching children playing on the slides and swings. He'd watched the boy get picked up from a school down the road by a young woman with short dark hair, accompanied by a pram and had then followed them to the park where the boy was let loose on the swings in the small playground.

He sat on a bench just outside the small playground and watched as the strawberry blonde boy ran around on the tarmac, laughing his head off. Aaron couldn't help but smile as he watched him climb onto the monkey bars and swing his little legs uncontrollably as he reached for each bar. The boy got to the end and then jumped off, quickly running back to the beginning with a massive grin on his face.

As he got back on the bars, he struggled his way across each one but as he went to grab the last one, he fell. A shout left his mouth and Aaron immediately stood up. He looked over to where the young woman was but she hadn't seen anything, too occupied with the baby she had now taken out of the pram. He felt himself walking over to the playground and towards where the boy was sat on the floor, one of his wrists grasped in his other hand.

He crouched down next to him and the boy looked up, tears rimmed his eyes.

"You okay?" Aaron asked softly and looked down at the graze that was now on the boy's palm, "That were a nasty fall, weren't it."

The boy looked back down at his hand and nodded, sniffling quietly. Aaron reached over and hesitantly took the boy's hand in his own, slowly stroking his thumb over the graze. "I know what will fix this." Aaron told him. The boy looked back up expectantly and Aaron nodded his head over to the bench he was just sat at and stood up gesturing for the boy to follow him.

As they walked over to the bench, the boy was a few steps behind Aaron and he kept glancing back at the playground for the woman sat on the other side, oblivious to what was happening. 

"Maria says I shouldn't talk to strangers." he finally said as he hesitantly waited for Aaron to pull something out of his bag. Aaron cringed at the word but laughed it off.

"Does she now?" he asked as he turned to face him, holding up a sponge bob decorated plaster, "Even if they're helping you?"

The boy shrugged but walked closer to Aaron holding his injured hand out for the plaster. Aaron sat down on the bench and carefully stuck it over the grazed skin, aware that he was being watched intensely by the boy. Once he'd finished, he looked up at him properly.

His strawberry blonde hair was covering his forehead and his eyelids as it blew in the warm wind. His eyes were a sea of bluey - green and freckles were faintly scattered across his nose and cheeks. _Definitely him_ , Aaron thought. Although he was relatively certain as soon as he'd laid eyes on him. Something in his heart hurt as it was obvious that he didn't recognise him. After all, it had been years and he doubted Rebecca ever brought up his existence. 

"Thanks." the boy whispered, his voice still wobbling from the shock of falling. Aaron nodded in appreciation but quickly fished around in his bag on the seat next to him.

"Here." he said as he offered the boy a small packet of Haribos. Suddenly the sad expression lifted and he smiled widely, looking from Aaron to the packet and then back again as if he was double checking that the offer was genuine. Aaron nodded in response so the boy took the sweets and sat on the bench next to him, momentarily surprising Aaron.

He excitedly opened the packet and poured a sweet into his palm. He quickly put it in his mouth and chewed slowly, almost savouring the taste. Aaron laughed at him, "Sweet tooth, eh?"

But the boy shook his head, "Maria says I'm not allowed them. Hurts my teef."

"Hmm." Aaron agreed, "Won't do much harm every once in a while."

"What's your name?" he asked suddenly, looking up from the bag of Haribos in his small hands.

Aaron hesitated, "Daniel." he replied, smiling at the boy sat on the bench next to him, "and you?"

"Seb." the boy grinned widely at him, making Aaron's heart burst. His mind cast back to that first day Seb had smiled at him, a tiny baby in a freezing portacabin.

At the same time, his name was called from the other side of the park and they both looked up to see a woman - Aaron concluded was Maria - running over to them, crying baby in her arms. Seb shoved the sweets in his pocket, making Aaron smile.

"Come on, Seb, leave this nice man alone." she smiled at Aaron, reaching her arm out to guide Seb away.

"Oh, no worries." Aaron reassured her, "just had a bit of an accident that's all."

Seb held up his injured hand proudly, showing off the spongebob sticker. Maria's face dropped and she sighed, looking up at Aaron who only had eyes for Seb.

"I'm sorry, I should've seen." she apologised but Aaron just shook his head.

"It's fine, got him patched up in the end, didn't we buddy?" he replied, patting Seb on the head as he grinned up at him. 

Maria thanked him and quickly hurried Seb away. Aaron breathed out deeply as he sat back on the bench and leaned back. He rubbed a hand over his face but couldn't help smile that formed on it as he watched the boy skipping away.

_A week later_

As much as his first conversation with Seb had lifted his spirits, it also rattled him. The urge to go back to Liverpool was strong. Aaron sat in the portacabin as Vinny sorted out a scrap order, staring at the framed photo of himself, Robert, Seb and Liv and contemplated what to do. 

Under an hour later, he was in his car. Driving to Liverpool. 

He sat on the same picnic bench, watching the clock ticking away as time drew nearer, marking the end of the school day. 

On cue, children of all ages in the same ugly green uniform filtered into the playground. Aaron scanned the mass of people, looking for the mop of ginger hair running towards the play area. He waited for what seemed like forever, his eyes darting from each end of the park. 

He looked down at the time on his phone; 15:28. 

Suddenly, he felt a poke on his hip, making him jolt in surprise and look up to see what caused it. 

Seb was stood next to him, a smile on his little face, his eyes bright with laughter. Aaron heart constricted as he frantically looked around to see who was with him. Nobody in their immediate surroundings.

"Hi Daniel!" Seb beamed, waving his little hand right in front of Aaron's face. 

He laughed nervously, "Seb, what are you doing here?" 

The boy pointed over to where a swarm of children were running around in the play area, complete with two older women chatting and leaning on the fence. 

"After school club." Seb answered, looking back at Aaron, "Wednesdays are park days!" 

Aaron nodded his head and smiled politely, Seb still not looking away from his gaze. 

"How are you?" Aaron blurted out nervously. He didn't know why he was so anxious, talking to the boy he'd practically raised for the first years of his life. 

Seb nodded his head in response but looked at Aaron's bag and then back at Aaron.

Oh. 

Aaron stifled a small laugh as he unzipped the bag, pulling out another small packet of Haribos. He held them out in front of him and Seb jumped excitedly on the spot. 

"So this is what you want, huh?" he joked, watching as Seb slowly nodded his head, watching the sweets. 

Aaron shook his head lightly as he handed them over to the boy, who's eyes lit up as he gratefully took the packet. 

Once he'd opened the sweets, Aaron thought he was going to run back to his friends, showing off what he got, but instead, Seb jumped onto the bench next to him and pulled out a gummy bear, offering it to Aaron. 

Aaron thanked him but rejected the offer, still confused by his actions.

"Don't you want to go and play with your friends?" he asked, watching Seb slowly put the sweets in his mouth. 

The boy shook his head. "None of my friends come to after school club. Their mummys don't work."

Aaron nodded slowly and bit his lip, "But your mummy does?"

Seb shook his head again, “Mummy doesn’t, Maria does. She looks after Tommy and his sisters on Mondays and Wednesdays so I can’t stay at home with Mummy and James until Ross comes home.”

All this information threw Aaron a bit and he took a while to process it. “James?” he asked, almost on reflex.

“My baby brother.” Seb explained, putting another sweet in his mouth.

Oh, obviously with Pete leaving the village and Charity not on good terms with Ross, word hadn’t gotten to him about this new child in their life.

Aaron took a breath in, his heart picking up as he asked his next question, “What about your Daddy?”

Seb quickly looked up and squinted, “My daddy doesn’t visit anymore.”

Aaron gulped, tapping his fingers against his knuckles where they were clasped together on his lap, “Do you- do you know why?”

He cringed at himself, what was he doing? Asking an oblivious five year old questions like this? But he wasn’t just any other five year old, was he?

The boy’s legs swung beneath him, “He works. On holiday, in a different country. Mummy says he’s too busy.”

Aaron felt something pull in his chest. He admits, when he tried to tell Seb about Robert, he couldn’t face telling him the whole truth, possibly ruining his image of the father that Robert had so desperately tried to create. Maybe when he’s older…

“He sends me cards, though.” Seb said through a mouthful of sweets. “For my birthday and Chrismas.”

Aaron turned his head at the revelation to see the boy jump off the bench, stuffing the rest of the sweets into his coat pocket.

“I’m going now.” He announced, “thank you for the sweeties.”

Before Aaron could respond, the little boy ran back to the play area, where he could see the children filtering out of the gates in rows, Seb joining the crowd.

 _Cards_? Robert sends him cards? He feels like he shouldn’t have that pang of jealousy that hits his chest, but he does.

It feels awful.


	2. too close

“Where do you live?” Seb asked, lifting his head to look up at Aaron. They were sat on the same bench, overlooking the small playground where the rest of the children were playing.

Aaron breathed in and looked around, “Not near here.”

“How far?” the boy continued, watching Aaron’s face.

“Like, 70 miles? Maybe.”

Seb made a confused face, “How much is that in centimetres?”

It made Aaron chuckle and he looked at Seb’s serious face, “A lot.”

The boy nodded warily, putting a cola bottle into his mouth, “I’m learning about centimetres in school. Miss Thompson says I’m very good.”

Aaron smiled, already a maths geek. Definitely, his father’s son.

“What are you learning about?” Seb asked after a beat of silence.

Aaron laughed a little to himself, “Oh I don’t go to school anymore. I go to work now.”

“What do you do at work?” the little boy quizzed, turning his whole body to face Aaron on the bench.

He was so close. Part of him just wanted to lift him up and give him a hug. Remembering the times the spent together, a small family playing at the park, it hurt. The distance was tiny but it felt like miles.

He cleared his throat, “I sell scrap.”

Seb pulled a face.

“You know when you break something?” the boy nodded, “Well, if you break something, and you can’t use it anymore, you give it to me. Then, I sell the parts of it that people want.”

Seb whispered out an _oh_ and nodded his head.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Aaron asked, watching him eat the last sweet.

The boy shrugged and scrunched up the plastic, putting it in his coat pocket, “Ross fixes cars. I like cars.”

Aaron nodded his head slowly, cringing slightly as the mention of Ross’s name, a hint of jealousy washing over him.

“Do you have children?” Seb asked suddenly, swerving the conversation off the tracks.

Aaron’s heart jumped a little in his chest and he breathed out a laugh, “No. No I don’t.”

Seb frowned, “Why?”

“I-um- I haven’t really had the time.” He lied, “I have two younger sisters though.”

Seb’s eyes widened, “ _Two sisters_?! What are they called?”

“Liv, she’s an adult now. And Eve, she’s only a few years younger than you.” He told him, watching as his smile grew and his eyes shone with astonishment.

“I want an older sister.” Seb announced moving around on the bench, letting his legs swing back over the side, “James just cries all the time and mummy doesn’t play with me like she used to.”

His little face crumpled into a frown as he looked at his lap.

“I’m sure she loves you just the same.” Aaron reassured him, aching to reach out and hug his worries away.

Seb nodded, “I wish Daddy was here. I don’t have to share _him_ with James.”

Aaron’s heart pulled in his chest as he heard the little boy’s wish, his own wish being the exact same thing.

-

Aaron made it a regular thing, on Wednesdays. He would have an afternoon off at the scrapyard to go to Liverpool and see Seb at the park. It wasn’t a very big park, the teachers weren’t too aware of what was going on, and Seb was even more excited every week, telling stories about his school day or listening to Aaron’s stories about his time in France.

Then, came the dreaded question.

“Are you married?” the little boy questioned, after recounting his spelling lesson, “Miss Thompson is getting married next week. She says she’s changing her name so we can’t call her Miss Thompson anymore.”

Aaron froze, the emptiness of his ring finger feeling even more pronounced. He swallowed.

“No, no I’m not anymore.” He confessed with a sigh, fighting the sorrow that always comes with it.

“So you were?” the boy puzzled, his own sorrow etched on his face.

He breathed out, amused with Seb’s straightforwardness. “Yes. Twice, actually.”

“Twice?!” Seb’s jaw fell open.

Aaron laughed, “I know. To the same man, though.”

Seb’s shocked face turned into a smile, “When I get married, I’m going to get married twice, too.”

He nodded his head and watched as Seb slipped on two gummy rings. His eyes flickered over to Aaron’s bare finger and he took a sweet off his own finger to try and put it on Aaron’s. He made a disappointed sound and frowned when he realised it wasn’t going to fit.

“Did you throw it away?” Seb asked as he just handed Aaron the sweet instead.

“What?” he replied, taking the sweet out of the boy’s small hand.

“The ring you got when you were married. Did you throw it away when you broke up?” his eyebrows were furrowed as he pointed at Aaron’s bare finger.

He shook his head, “No. We didn’t- we didn’t _break up_ as such. He just, he had to go away and we- we couldn’t be together anymore.”

Seb nodded his head in understanding and sat back properly on the bench. He squinted up at Aaron, “Like my Daddy?”

Something fluttered in Aaron’s stomach and he smiled softly, “Yeah. Just like your Daddy. But just because I’m not with him anymore, it doesn’t mean I don’t love him. So just because you can’t see your Daddy doesn’t mean you stop loving him, or that he stops loving you.”

Seb beamed, the full, Sugden smile and Aaron knew, he would love this boy forever.

-

It was a Wednesday afternoon and Aaron had successfully got all of his orders in, caught up on the paper work and let Vinny have the afternoon off.

He was sat on the park bench with a coffee and was scrolling through the business pages on the news. He heard the screech of school children and he looked up, watching as rows and rows of them filtered into the playground. He couldn’t see Seb within the crowd at first but continued to watch as they dispersed onto the equipment.

Suddenly, he heard a shout of his name and looked to the gate of the park, where the small boy was stood, waving his arms around. He waved a bit back, confused as to why he wasn’t with the rest of the children.

Then, a person came up behind him, their face concentrated on their phone and pushing a pram infront of them.

 _Shit,_ It was Rebecca.

Aaron jumped from his seat on the bench and hurried away, turning his head so she couldn’t see his face and hiding behind the toilet block, panting. God, he hoped she hadn’t seen him. God knows what she would do if she had. Called the police, probably. Gotten Ross to make sure he never comes back.

He waited, his back to the wall, for a few minutes before peeking around the corner to where he had seen them. There was no one there.

He walked quickly around the building and towards the car park, making sure he didn’t look up for long enough to be seen and recognised, just in case.

Opening the car door quickly, he threw himself into the seat and rubbed a hand over his face.

That was too close. What if Rebecca had seen him? He couldn’t come back, he needed to just forget. Just forget that he ever came.

But he loved Seb. He was finally having some type of relationship with him now, and he was happy. The happiest he’s ever been in the years without Robert, and he couldn’t give it up.

His head was spinning as he turned on the engine and reversed out of the car park, back to Emmerdale.

-

The next few weeks were long. If he didn’t have his mum pestering him about going out more, he had the ongoing anxiety that Rebecca would turn up, demanding he left her son alone.

It had been weeks since he saw them and had the constant dilemma in his head.

Maybe she didn’t see him? Maybe he’d hidden himself quick enough and there wasn’t anything to be worrying about? What if Seb had already forgotten him?

Looking at the picture on his desk, yet again, he made his decision.

-

The parking brake grunted as he pulled up to one of the spaces in the car park. The time was 3:25 and some older children were strolling across the park already.

His foot tapped nervously and the butterflies in his stomach returned as he heard the squeal of children making their way across the park, accompanied by two adults.

Aaron opened the car door slowly and anxiously looked out for the strawberry blonde boy who should be running around the playground. He saw him, his hair longer than he’d remembered but his smile just as bright.

He didn’t even register his movements and suddenly he was stood on the grass, walking himself to the free bench. He was watching as Seb laughed, going down the slide but then as he turned to walk back to the steps, they made eye contact.

Aaron’s heart lurched in his chest and he brought his hand up and little wave, smiling at the boy. Seb’s eyes widened and he waved enthusiastically back.

A weight was lifted off Aaron’s chest as he saw the genuine smile on the boy’s face. Aaron turned to where his bag was sat on the bench next to him and when he looked up, the boy was running towards him.

“Where did you go?” Seb asked excitedly as he saw what Aaron was rummaging around in his bag for.

“Sorry, I-um- I was busy.” Aaron lied.

Seb smiled as he was given the packet of sweets, “Were you working?”

He nodded, but Seb suddenly pouted sadly. Aaron felt something stab in his chest as he realised this is all Seb is used to. People being too busy to spend time with him.

“But I’m not working now.” He tried but Seb looked back at the playground. “Hey, Seb. I promise, I’ll be here every week. I won’t go away again.”

Seb smiled timidly and stuck his pinky out, “Pinky promise?”

Aaron chuckled but connected his pinky around Seb’s, “I promise.”

They shook their hands together and laughed, before the boy jumped up onto the bench, his feet dangling below him happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!


	3. oh, how time flies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this has taken so long i'm sorry. I've had so much work and hardly any time to do any writing. This is a longer chapter hopefully to make up for it haha. 
> 
> this is where the drama begins...

Seb got bigger and bigger, showing Aaron his height in comparison every time he thought he’d grown. Losing control of time was something Aaron had become accustomed to; it was hard to think of anything else other than their weekly talks. He loved hearing about Seb’s school, his love for numbers and his teddy names.

“I called this one Daniel.” He grinned as he pulled out a small stuffed bear from his backpack, “after you.”

Aaron couldn’t hide his joy, “Wow, Seb. Thank you.”

“Because you have the same hair.” Seb explained, pointing between the brown bear and Aaron’s head.

He laughed and agreed, playfully scruffing up his own hair.

“Ross has the same hair as you but his is slimy.” He stuck his tongue out, before looking up at Aaron, “yours is fluffy.”

“I know, sometimes mine is slimy though.” He watched as Seb frowned, “but only on special occasions.” He quickly corrected.

Seb’s smile grew wide again. “Is my birthday a special occasion?”

Aaron shrugged, “I guess it is, if you spend it with people who make you feel special.”

“Maria says we can go swimming on my birthday.” The boy exclaimed, moving around excitedly on the seat. “It’s got slides!”

Aaron let out a corresponding sound of surprise, smiling at Seb’s excitement.

“Is Mummy doing anything for your birthday?” Aaron intrigued, trying to keep the conversation for as long as he could before the boy ran off.

Seb shook his head, “She doesn’t like swimming.”

Aaron frowned, “Not even on your birthday?”

The boy shook his head again, but another smile quickly appeared. “But I’m excited to get a card from my Dad, he _never_ forgets.”

The happiness in Aaron’s heart twanged with sadness at the mention of Robert, the jealousy peaking out of its cage.

-

Going to the park on a weekly basis also meant Aaron trying to explain to his mum why he was always out at the same time each week and why he could never miss it.

“Why can’t you come with us tomorrow?” Chas had asked him at their family dinner in the pub, “A little family outing, we haven’t had one in ages, not since Eve started walking independently, anyway.”

He shook his head, chewing his food, “I can’t I’ve already got something going on.”

Chas locked eyes with Paddy from across the table and Aaron could sense their judgement.

“What?”

Chas sighed, “It’s just- Vinny asked us where you go every week. He’s not complaining- I think he likes having the scrapyard to himself, he was just curious.”

“Yeah, well he should keep his nose out.” Aaron mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Chas slapped him lightly on the arm, making Eve laugh as she shoved spaghetti hoops into her mouth.

“You’re not up to something dodgy, are you?” Paddy quizzed; his face serious.

Aaron frowned, “No, Paddy, I’m not a teenager.”

“I’m just asking!” he put his hands up in surrender.

Aaron put his cutlery down and stood up, “I should go, work and all that.”

He walked around the table, giving Eve a pat on the head and his mum a kiss, “Have fun tomorrow, I’ll drop round in the evening.”

On the way back to the mill, he stopped by David’s shop to buy milk when blue plastic bags on the counter caught his attention.

David appeared on the other side. “That all?” he asked, typing into the till machine.

Aaron pointed to the bags on the counter, “How much for those?”

“Two for three quid.”

Aaron grabbed two of the bags and pulled a five pound note out of his wallet, handing it over to David.

“Didn’t know you had a sweet tooth.” David joked pulling out change, “present for Eve, I assume.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

-

Seb came bounding up to him the minute he got to the playground, a giant smile plastered on his face.

“Hiya mate.” Aaron’s mood lifted seeing the little boy.

He had something yellow in his hands and he wiggled it in front of Aaron, prompting him to take it. It was a yellow, laminated star with Seb’s name written in bold across it.

“I’m maths star of the week!” the boy exclaimed jumping excitedly on the spot.

Aaron gasped, looking at the star and back at Seb in front of him, “Well done! You must be so good!”

He nodded his head enthusiastically, taking the star from Aaron’s hands and sliding it in his backpack. “It’s my favourite, do you want to watch me do my times tables?”

“Yeah, sure.” Aaron smiled as Seb climbed up onto the bench next to him, pulling a little notepad out of his bag.

Once he got to the six times tables, he stopped. “I haven’t got that far yet.” He explained, pointing at the equations on the sheet of paper, “Mrs Kirby says I have to wait for the rest of the class to be as good.”

Aaron chuckled, “wow, you’ve really got the hang of it, then.”

Seb smiled as he put his things back in his bag, reminding Aaron of his own surprise in his bag.

He zipped open his bag and pulled out the smaller plastic bag from inside. He watched as Seb clocked what it was, and his eyes grew wide.

“A special treat. For your birthday next week.” He told him as he passed him the multipack of Haribos. “Don’t eat them all at once though. I don’t think Maria or Mummy will be too pleased.”

Seb’s eyes were still fixated on the sweets but moved his gaze to look at Aaron. He put a finger over his mouth as if to tell him he would keep quiet. Aaron nodded and let go of the bag so that Seb could put it in his own.

“That’s going to last lots of weeks!” he exclaimed, smiling. “I won’t tell Mummy I got it before my birthday because that is cheating. But it doesn’t matter if it’s you.”

Aaron gave him an understanding nod.

“Next time I see you, I will be six!” he held up six fingers in the air, counting them in his mind to check.

A feeling of pride washed through Aaron as he nodded, “You’re growing up so fast.”

Seb chuckled, “That’s what my teachers say.”

-

Six quickly turned into seven and seven quickly turned into eight. The weeks were flashing by and life seemed to pass by too quickly.

Seb was growing up, telling stories of school friends, reciting books he’s read. Liv graduated uni and moved to York full time after a small stint back in Emmerdale.

Aaron didn’t tell anyone about his visits to Seb, telling himself that anyone else would try to ruin it – the friendship that they’d built. Even as Seb got older, he never ventured further as to question Aaron about his reasons for seeing him every week, never getting bored of each other.

-

It was the fifth year of their reconciliation. Seb was now allowed to walk to and from school by himself -now that he was in ‘big school’ as he called it. Every Wednesday afternoon, he’d go to park and meet Aaron. The sweets weren’t a regular thing anymore but Aaron sometimes liked to surprise him. His face of familiarity whenever Aaron pulled out a packet of Haribos was always a good sight.

As Seb reached over to take the packet from Aaron’s hand, his blazer sleeve rode up and a pink mark was evident on his wrist.

Aaron’s heart dropped and he quickly tried to see it better, but Seb’s hand pulled away, hiding it from view. He didn’t mention it, and Seb’s behaviour didn’t seem any different.

 _“It’s probably just an innocent mark from a stupid accident”_ Aaron told himself as he drove home that day. “ _He’s nearly a teenage boy, of course he’s going to be reckless.”_

But it got warmer quickly and Seb’s sleeves got shorter, less able to cover the marks on his arms.

After a detailed story from Seb about a stupid argument his friends had gotten into, Aaron changed the subject to ask carefully about the obvious marks.

“What happened there, mate?” he asked in the softest voice he could manage, trying to hide the concern.

Seb looked down and laughed, giving Aaron a sense of hope that it was just an accident. “I knocked my arm on the side of the oven as I was taking something out.” He explained pointing to the pink fading mark on his forearm, “and this, this must be from the messy cupboard spilling out on.” He finished, pointing to a bruise further up his arm.

Aaron nodded in understanding, “been there done that. You becoming an avid cook, then?”

He shook his head, “I don’t really like cooking, but we need to eat, right.” He laughed nervously and Aaron furrowed his eyebrows.

“What do you mean? Does Maria not cook anymore?” he questioned, turning to face the boy.

Seb sighed, “I’m not meant to tell anyone.”

Aaron made eye contact with him, “This is me, isn’t it? Come on you can tell me anything.” He encouraged.

Seb pursed his lips together and looked away. “Ross left my mum.” He sighed out.

Aaron scoffed, in disbelief, “What?”

But the boy nodded, fiddling with his fingers. “A few months ago.” He quickly looked up, “Maria left with him.”

Aaron could say he saw it coming. But the truth was that he didn’t see it coming. He thought Ross loved Rebecca, they moved away for a new start and then he just left her anyway?

“Seb, I’m so sorry.” Aaron breathed out. He could tell Seb’s heart broke for his mum – and himself.

The boy quickly looked up, “but you can’t tell anyone. I promised her I wouldn’t. She says they might take us from her if we do.”

Aaron bit his lip. Rebecca could barely take care of herself, never mind two children.

But the way Seb’s eyes were pleading right now were pulling on his heartstrings. Who was he to risk a boy being taken away from his mother, when that was the thing he resented his for in the first place?

Reluctantly, Aaron shook his head, “I won’t tell.”

Seb’s mouth turned into a thankful smile.

-

_I promised him. I promised him._

Those words were going around Aaron’s head for the rest of that week. He felt guilty, he felt scared. For Seb, for young James – even for Rebecca.

“Earth to Aaron!” Chas’ voice sounded. He looked up from his pint to see his mum smiling at him as she pulled a pint. “What’s going on up there?”

He shook his head, sighing but she could tell something was wrong.

“What’s up babe?” she asked, coming over to him and leaning on the other side of the counter.

“It’s nothing.” He lied but she gave him a knowing look. “All right. I’ve got a dilemma.”

“I’m listening.”

“I promised someone I’d keep a secret. Said someone may be in potential danger if I don’t say anything but if I do, they see that to be even worse than the situation they’re currently in.”

“Go with your gut.” Chas said quickly, “What was your first instinct when they told you?”

Aaron thought. Obviously, he immediately wanted Seb out of there, but would Seb ever forgive him if he said something about it? He couldn’t lose him again.

“Tell someone.” He admitted.

Chas nodded and pushed off the table. “Then that’s your answer.”

Aaron’s foot tapped on the stool. He couldn’t. Could he?

He looked at his watch. It read _13:55._ If he drove quickly he could catch Seb leaving school. He needed to explain to him why he has to tell someone.

-

His car screeched to a halt in the parking bay of the park. He’d driven as fast as he could, probably breaking a few rules on the way but he was there just after the school had finished and he was already seeing children Seb’s age filter through the gate.

He ran over to the bench he usually stood at to get a good view of the rest of the park.

It was a Monday so he wasn’t entirely sure that Seb would actually be there, considering he didn’t actually know where Seb lived, he just came to park on Wednesdays – as to not break their tradition.

He bit his lip, looking for any signs of Seb walking. He heard a voice behind him.

“Daniel!” Seb called. Aaron turned around to see him stood, one earphone hanging out of his ear and a surprised look on his face. “You’re not usually here today.”

Seb made his way over to him and suddenly Aaron was lost for words. He couldn’t tell him.

“Yeah, I – I wanted a change.” Aaron lied, “See what the park was like on a Monday afternoon.”

He stood next to him now, looking over at where children were playing on the swings and people were throwing bread into the pond. Seb smiled and looked up at him.

“Same as always, I think.” He joked.

“Yeah.” Aaron agreed quietly.

“Seb?” the voice came from behind them. Seb’s eyes lit up as he recognised the voice and turned around

“Mum!” he exclaimed, running over to her, stopping just in front to look up at her, a big smile on his face. “I was going to walk; you didn’t need to come and get me.”

Aaron cringed as he turned his head slowly, watching as Rebecca’s face turned from confusion to horror.

Her hands dropped to her side, her eyes fixated on Aaron's as he stepped forward slowly.

“Rebecca, I-“ he started, forcing himself not to look at Seb, who was now stood still watching the scene.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She asked, her voice starting to shake.

Aaron bites his lip, he hadn’t thought this through this far. He knew he was going to have to face up to Rebecca at some point but- this is not how he would’ve done it.

“I- I was just-” Aaron stammered, frantically searching for an excuse.

“Wait, what?” Seb finally asked slowly, the cogs in his head spinning, “How do you know my mum?”

Aaron looked at Rebecca, her face now showing hints of sadness. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and looked at the ground.

“Daniel?” Seb’s eyes were wide with confusion, darting between Aaron and his mum.

Aaron sighed, “My name- My name’s not Daniel.”

Seb staggered back a bit, fear now leaking into his expression. He let out a breath, “What?”

“His name’s Aaron.” Rebecca finishes for him, her voice suddenly dripping with spite, “He is- _was_ -your Stepfather.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about the massive time jump, i just didn't want it getting too repetitive. I'm not that good at multi chapter things.
> 
> I've actually already written most of the next chapter so the wait shouldn't be as long :)


	4. revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't going to post this so soon after the last chapter but this one is the first one i wrote and has been just sitting around in my documents so i thought i'd actually upload it!
> 
> i hope you enjoy and sorry in advance.

Aaron ran after them, Rebecca pulling Seb by the arm of his coat back towards the car park.

“Rebecca, he’s my son too!” he shouted after her, desperately trying to run past the crowds of people.

She got to her car and opened the passenger door, hurriedly pushing Seb in and closing it.

“He’s not. He’s _my_ son.” Rebecca argued, quickly trying to make her way around the car and into the driver’s seat. Aaron intercepted her reach for the handle and stood bold in front of the door.

“Oh really? Is that why you dump him on someone else the first chance you get?” he snapped, holding onto the door handle, “Why he’s got those bruises on his arm? He’s a _child,_ Rebecca. He shouldn’t be doing your job for you!”

“Yeah? Well right now, you’re acting like one.” She retorted back, trying to push him out of the way.

Aaron scoffed and shook his head, “What an inconvenience, I’m surprised you even noticed me.”

“Shut up.” She warned.

He carried on anyway, “Where’s your other child, anyway? Managed to palm him off to someone else? Or is he at home making dinner?”

This made her take a step back. “Ross left me, Aaron. He left me on my own, with two kids. You have no idea- “

“What? I have no idea what it’s like to have the person you love leave you? To have your whole family ripped apart because of it?” Aaron was raising his voice now but softened to move his head closer to Rebecca, “At least you still have your children. What did you leave _me_ with, hm?”

Her eyes immediately darted to the floor, shying herself away from his stare.

He continued, “I’d lost Robert. Just like that. My life had flipped on its head, Rebecca. And then, then I lost Seb. The only thing of his I had left, and you took him from me.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Rebecca shoved Aaron away from the door and pulled it open, quickly getting in the seat.

Aaron scrambled back towards the car, but she started the engine, slamming the door behind her.

He ran back to his car, speedily jumping in the driver’s seat and pressing his foot on the gas. He watched through the mirror as Rebecca left the car park and followed closely behind.

He followed her car out onto the main road and down a dual carriageway. Through her rear window he could the silhouette of Seb’s head turning back every now and then, probably looking to check that Aaron was still there. He felt terrible for him. If Rebecca hadn’t overreacted, if she’d let him tell him how he wanted to, then it wouldn’t be as messy as it was going to get.

He watched as Rebecca indicated left and turned sharply into a side road. He followed, switching on his own indicator and turning.

The road was full of identical terraced houses, two bedroomed at best. Cars were parked the side of the road and some on tiny driveways. Rebecca followed the curve of the road then slowed down, driving onto the sloped driveway of a house at the end of a terrace.

It was a bricked house with tarnished white windowpanes. The netted curtains in the upstairs window were slightly ripped and the guttering was hanging loosely from the roof.

Aaron parked his car on the road and quickly got out, running up the driveway and trying to catch up with Rebecca who was hastily opening the door, Seb stood in front of her.

He reached forward to stop her, but the door swung open and she stepped forward, pushing Seb in ahead of her.

The interior of the house was just as bad as the outside. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. _It probably hadn’t._

The rug was a beigey colour and there were mud tracks covering the floor. Dust flew about in the air and the carpet on the stairs was covered in brown stains.

Rebecca tried to close the door behind her, but Aaron put his hand out, the damaged paint peeling off underneath his fingers.

“Rebecca,” he pleaded, pushing open the door and trying to step one foot in, “Please, let me in. At least let me talk to him.”

Seb was shying away behind a messy bookshelf situated at the side of the hallway. His expression unreadable, but he looked nervous. Aaron spoke to him from behind the half-closed door.

“Seb, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you. I just- I missed you, and I never meant for it to get this bad, and I-” he was interrupted by a wail from upstairs.

“Go check on your brother, Seb.” Rebecca told him quickly, still holding the door.

The boy nodded slowly, still looking at Aaron with wary eyes.

Something inside Aaron almost burst as he realised what she had done. “Wait, what? You actually left him here? Alone?”

Rebecca shook her head, “No? No I didn’t I-” but she stopped, suddenly realising herself.

It reminded Aaron of the time she left Seb in Keeper’s cottage with the stove on, remembering how he had to break through the back door.

He pushed on the door and Rebecca finally relented, stepping back and running her hands through her hair as she walked quickly into another room. This one was as messy as the hall, the sofa covered in toys and plastic plates.

“Anything could’ve happened, Rebecca.” Aaron pointed up the stairs, following her into the room.

“Yeah but it didn’t, did it?” she snapped, turning to face him.

He scoffed, her lack of worry astounding him.

Small footsteps came down the stairs and they both turned to see Seb round the corner and into the room, glancing at both of them.

“He’s, um, he’s playing with the Lego now” He said quietly.

Rebecca nodded her head and quickly smiled at him, lifting her arms up, inviting him to go to her.

But he shook his head, “No. I want you to tell me everything.” He looked at Aaron and then back at Rebecca, “Both of you. Why did you lie?”

Aaron looked at his feet, unable to describe his actions.

“I was trying to protect you.” Rebecca said from behind him. “At first, we thought it was okay, sharing you with them. But then Robert went to prison and-”

“Prison?” Seb was taken aback, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Rebecca’s eyes were wide, she looked at Aaron, stammering, “Wait you- you didn’t-”

Aaron shook his head.

“My dad’s in prison?” Seb asked again, his voice wobbling.

Rebecca swallowed, “Yeah. He is.”

Seb let out a shocked breath and wiped at his eyes. He pointed to Aaron, “So your husband, the one who had to go away. That’s- that’s my dad?”

Aaron nodded his head, “I didn’t tell you, ‘cause I was scared how you would react. I thought they would take you from me again.”

“Take me?” he was looking back at Rebecca now, “Mum, what does he mean?”

She gulped and sat down on the sheet covered sofa, “We stopped your visits. With Aaron and his family, we thought it would be hard for you - without your dad there. And then he cut contact, and then the divorce happened…” She looked up at Aaron after recalling the worst parts of his life, “I’m sorry, Aaron. I didn’t think about how much it would affect you.”

He nodded but didn’t accept her apology, not really. It had been years, and all it took was Rebecca trying to get on the right side of her son for her to apologise. It was way too late now.

“But if my dad doesn’t know that you stopped letting me visit,” Seb started moving his hands around, pointing up to a card sat on the mantelpiece. “If he doesn’t know about what you did, how come he’s never mentioned Aaron, or his family.”

Aaron could see the exact moment Seb realised. His face fell and his eyes widened. It was the same moment he realised himself:

Robert wasn’t sending the cards. Rebecca was.

“Because it wasn’t him.” Seb’s voice came out in a cracked whisper. He turned to face Rebecca, “Mum?”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It was me.”

He started sobbing, wiping furiously at his face with the sleeves of his coat, trying to get rid of the dampness. He stood there, small and fragile, one arm wrapped around his middle while the other was covering his face.

“Seb, I’m sorry.” Aaron heard Rebecca whisper as she tried to stand up and go to him, but he turned and ran upstairs, the sounds of his footsteps getting quieter - and then a door slam.

Rebecca sighed, turning around to face Aaron. She brought her hand through her hair, “This is all your fault.”

Aaron barked out a laugh, shocked, “How is this _my_ fault? You’ve been lying to him his _whole_ life! You actively deceived him! Faking letters and birthday cards? That’s low, even for you.”

“You lied to him too. Making up this fake identity, pretending to be someone you’re not so you could what? Steal him for yourself?” she argued back.

“Oh my god, have you heard yourself? He’s a _child,_ Rebecca. _Your_ child, in case you’d forgotten. You have two of those, by the way.” He lectured her, “I’m not standing here, playing right and wrong when that boy – _your son –_ is crying his heart out because his mother’s been lying to him his whole life and the father he thought he knew, isn’t real. You need to rethink who the bad guy really is here.”

He stormed past her and out of the living room door, following where Seb had just run up the stairs.

The floorboard squeaked as Aaron’s trainers stepped over them, trying to avoid the clutter. He heard voices coming from behind a closed door at the end of the small landing.

Carefully opening the door so as not to make a noise, Aaron poked his head round it and looked into the room.

The walls were covered in splashes of paint and red and green handprints, making their way around the box room. There was a Lego house built in the corner of the room, with individual pieces scattered around it.

There were two beds, side by side in the other corner and sat on top of the bed by the wall were two boys; Seb, with his light, strawberry blonde hair and the other with an auburn shade on his head. They had a little set up of Lego cowboys and were putting on little voices as they moved the characters around.

The door creaked and Seb looked up, his eyes still red from crying. He quickly looked back down at the Lego characters, ignoring him.

James looked up and made eye contact with Aaron but turned to his brother, “Seb I need a wee.”

Seb nodded and James climbed off the bed, heading towards the door. Aaron stepped back and opened it wider so that the small boy could walk past him. He took his chances and stepped forwards, further into the room. As soon as he’d gotten halfway into the room, Seb dropped the Lego he was holding and turned towards the window above the bed’s headboard.

“Go away.” He said moodily, still turned away.

“Seb, I’m sorry.” Aaron tried gently, “I didn’t mean for it to come out like this.”

“You said.”

Aaron stepped closer and sat on the bed opposite, only being able to see the side of his face. “I should’ve told you sooner, I know. It’s just, you had this picture in your mind of your dad: the hero, who’s going to come back one day and save you. I couldn’t ruin that for you.”

Seb didn’t say anything but he looked down at his lap, fiddling with a small Lego character.

“What your mum did, that was wrong.” Aaron continued, “She never should’ve started, never mind carrying on doing it. I’m sure Ross had his own part to play in it, too. And what I did, I’ll admit, wasn’t my smartest idea, but it made me happy – seeing you. And it made you happy, too, right?”

He nodded, barely visible but it made Aaron smile, just a bit.

“Bad people go to jail.” Seb finally said, looking up. “Is my dad a bad person?”

Aaron shook his head almost violently, “No. He is one of the _best_ people I’ve ever met. Yeah, he’s done bad things, but that doesn’t make him a bad person.”

“Why is he in jail?” the boy asked, and Aaron could feel the anxiety growing in his stomach, ready to smash every image Seb has had of his dad in his mind.

Aaron hesitated, before breathing out the word, “Murder.”

Seb’s eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed in shock, “He killed someone?”

Seb was only young, but already his whole world had been ripped in two.

“Someone who had very badly hurt someone he loves. Someone we both love. What your dad did, he didn’t do it because he’s a bad person, he did it trying to protect the people he cares about.” Aaron told him, emotion starting to cloud his voice. “And then, he handed himself in. We could’ve run, left the country, but he decided that it would be best if I stayed here, with my family, with _you.”_ Aaron swallowed, “You know one of the last things he said to me? He said that for once, he wanted to tell you that he’d made the right choice, he’d done the right thing. Yeah, the way he handled everything could’ve been better but, he faced up to what he’d done. and I wouldn’t be here, with you, if it wasn’t for him.”

Seb watched Aaron, nodding in understanding as he stopped talking, his own eyes brimming with tears. He jumped off the bed and crouched down suddenly, much to Aaron’s confusion. Seb reached under the bed and pulled out a red, metal box.

He sat back on the bed with the box in his lap and fiddled with the combination key. It clicked and Seb pulled the lid open, opening it like a door.

His little hand reached in and pulled out a stack of folded pieces of paper. Taking the elastic band off, Seb flipped through them and took out a smaller looking piece of paper.

It was a photograph. He passed it to Aaron who held it gently in his hands, his thumb grazing over the faces.

It was an old photo of Robert and baby Seb in the pub. Robert was holding him in his lap and looking down at him, a massive smile across both their faces.

Aaron recognised the photo and knowingly turned it over. It read:

_Seb’s first family meal in the Woolpack._

In his own messy handwriting.

Aaron was speechless, he looked up at Seb who had a small smile on his lips, “How did you get this?”

“It was in one of Dad’s- Mum’s letters. I assumed it was her who took the photo but, now, I’m guessing it was you.” Seb told him, smiling down at the small photo in Aaron’s hands.

“Seb there’s- there’s so much more you need to know-”

He passed back the photo and the door creaked open making them both whip their heads around.

James was stood there, hanging onto the door handle, a cheeky grin on his face. “Seb, is that your daddy?”

Seb let out a small laugh but the sound of clanging downstairs broke their moment. Aaron quickly snapped back to reality, remembering Rebecca still downstairs.

“She is a good Mum. Sometimes.” Seb told him, looking down at the photo in his hands, “I think she just needs a bit of help.”

Aaron nodded in understanding. “I’ll go and talk to her.”

She was mumbling something when Aaron came up beside her in the kitchen and made her gasp.

“Oh! You scared-” she started but stepped back warily, realising who he was. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Rebecca, I-” he tried but she hurriedly pushed him back.

She pushed him towards the door, “You need to leave. You need to go before Seb sees you.”

Aaron tried to fight back, pushing her hands off his chest, “Rebecca what are you talking about? I’ve already seen Seb, we’ve been through this.”

She staggered back, seemingly shocked as she looked around her.

A voice came from the landing and she quickly looked up, seeing Seb stood at the top of the stairs holding onto the rail.

“Mum, what are you doing?” he asked.

“Nothing, sweetie. Aaron here was just leaving.” She opened the front door and stepped aside, leaving room for him to walk through.

But Aaron stayed still, watching Rebecca worriedly. “No, I’m not. I’m not going.”

“Aaron, I swear to god, leave before I call the police.” She hissed, suddenly getting angry.

He shook his head, “No.”

“Leave!” she screamed, making Aaron jump and step out of the door. She slammed the door in his in face, then ignored his knocking in an attempt to get back in.

As he walked slowly down the driveway, he heard a tapping sound. He turned to see Seb at the window by the door, behind a purple flower in a vase.

He brought his little hand up in a wave, smiling sadly through the glass. Aaron waved back, mouthing, _I’ll come back tomorrow._

The boy nodded, before jumping down from whatever he was stood on and disappearing from view.

The next day, Aaron near enough jumped out of bed and ran to his car. It was still early but he was hoping to catch Rebecca before she took the kids to school, hopefully talk her round and discuss access for Seb, if she let him in.

He drove to the park and then worked his way from there, recalling the directions he followed Rebecca the day before.

Once he got to the small house, he noticed the car was gone. He must have just missed the school run.

Although, as he got closer, he realised the vase in the window he saw Seb in wasn’t there. He stepped up to the window to peek in. The furniture had been cleared, the stairs were empty and the photo frames on the shelf were gone.

He banged on the door and called for Rebecca. No answer. He struck the door several times but there was still no movement behind it.

A voice appeared behind him, belonging to a middle-aged woman pushing a pram.

“I don’t think they’re in, love.” She told him, watching from the end of the driveway, “Made a racket leaving this morning. Lots of luggage, doesn’t look like they’ll be back for a while.”

Everything in Aaron broke, any string attached to hope was snapped. Rebecca had snapped it.

He was back to square one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it will get better for everyone i promise. apparently i'm incapable of not ending on cliffhangers haha


	5. where he belongs

A million questions buzzed around his head. Why would she do this? Where, more importantly, were they?

“Do you- do you know where they could’ve gone?” Aaron ran up to the woman, “How much stuff- did you hear what they were saying?”

She brought her hands out in front of her, telling him to calm down, “I have a one year old child, I can barely hear myself think, never mind what the neighbours are doing.”

Aaron sighed, running his hands through his hair, “They never told you of any holiday? Ever?”

The woman shook her head, “Weren’t really the conversational type, I suppose. Kept themselves to themselves.”

Aaron groaned, his mind thinking of endless possibilities, his own words coming back to him. _It was Australia last time._

“Why?” the woman inquired, interrupting the hole he was digging, “From what I heard, they had no other family members at all, apart from one brother, but he moved out years ago. Are you a distant relative?”

“Do you not know anywhere they could’ve gone?” he ignored the question, desperately trying to find any he could.

She shook her head again, Aaron’s hope slowly sank lower, “No, sorry.”

She gave him a sympathetic smile and walked off, making faces at the baby in the pram.

-

“Rebecca’s gone. She’s taken him and left.” Aaron spoke quickly as he walked into the back room, surprising his mum and Paddy who were tidying up after breakfast.

“Slow down, Aaron.” His mum was saying as she walked over from the kitchen, “What do you mean? Taken who?”

He took a deep breath, a pit of fear suddenly arriving in his stomach, “She's taken Seb. Rebecca’s done a runner.”

Chas looked back at Paddy, obviously confused. “Well yeah, they’re in Liverpool.”

He shook his head, looking between both of them. He sat on the sofa, fiddling with his hands. “I’ve been meeting Seb. In Liverpool. Every week. Rebecca had no idea.”

A shocked gasp came from Chas as she sat down on one of the dining chairs, Paddy watching over her shoulder. “You’ve been doing what?”

“Mum, I couldn’t bear it. I knew Rebecca wouldn’t let him know me, I knew he’d forget me eventually. I had to do something about it. But now, now its all ruined. She found out and she- she’s gone. They’re all gone.”

She sighed, “So that’s where you’re always off to.”

He nodded.

“Aaron. I don’t know what to say.” Paddy chimed in, still stood behind Chas.

He looked up pleadingly, “Help me find them. I swear, she’s not capable of looking after them herself. She forgot I was even there only ten minutes after she’d last seen me.”

“What about Ross?” Chas question, “surely he’s there to help?”

Aaron shook his head quickly, “No. Ross ran off with the flippin’ nanny months ago.”

Paddy spluttered on his own saliva, sending himself into a coughing fit.

Aaron continued, “The house is a mess, Seb hurt himself making dinner and she left a five year old at home for god knows how long, right in front of me.”

Paddy had stopped choking now and was making eyes at Chas.

“What?” Aaron interrupted, reading the silent conversation.

Chas cleared her throat. “Well. You and Robert _are_ divorced. He’s not really your child… and maybe Rebecca’s just taken them on holiday?”

Now it was Aaron’s turn to let out an incredulous laugh, “What? What you think she’s just gone on a jolly with all her possessions and two kids in the middle of the week?”

Chas shrugged, “Maybe they’re staying with a friend? Do you actually know how much was taken?”

“Well, no.” he stuttered, “I only looked through the window.”

“Exactly.” Paddy encouraged, “You can’t be that sure that she’s upped and left. Maybe you’re overreacting.”

Aaron stood up angrily, “ _I’m_ overreacting? She’s taken my son because she can’t stand the guilt of knowing he deserves to know me too.”

Paddy interjected, “Now that’s hardly fair. He is her son too.”

“Yeah, only when she feels like it!” Aaron replied, a bit too loudly.

Chas stood up and put her hands on his arms, “Aaron, calm down. I thought you’d accepted that they’d gone. You need to move on.”

He stepped back, out of her grasp. “You know what? I don’t even know why I came to you. You never cared about my relationships. With Robert or even with Seb. You probably see him as a way for Robert to stop me from ‘moving on’, don’t you? But you know what? I’m going to find him. And bring him back, here, where he belongs.”

Chas tried to speak but he turned and walked out the door, making sure to slam it behind him.

-

Trying to find Rebecca wasn’t easy. He never really needed to do these sorts of things, he didn’t have the right contacts – that’s what Robert used to do.

 _I wonder what Robert would say about everything_ Aaron thought that night as he was scouring the internet for anything linked to Rebecca (mostly from Home farm days). He laughed sadly to himself, fully basking in the dreaded feeling of being completely and utterly alone.

He picked up his phone from where it was charging on the night stand and turned it on. The photo of him and Robert on their wedding day flashed in front of his eyes.

_God, I miss you._

_-_

It was the third day and still no leads. He’d called Pete, one last tether of a hope clinging to one phone call, but he had no idea of how to get in any contact with Ross, never mind Rebecca.

The police weren’t helpful either.

“I’d like to file a missing person’s report.” He’d said to the officer at the front desk.

“What is your relationship to the missing person?” the officer asked, not looking up from the computer.

Aaron stuttered, “I- well he’s my stepson, kind of.”

“Kind of?” the man questioned, raising his glance to meet Aaron’s.

“We’re divorced, his dad and I.” he explained, “but his mum has taken him and his brother away without telling anyone.”

“So he’s with his mother and his brother.” The officer challenged, “Doesn’t sound like he’s missing to me.”

Aaron groaned, “No she’s- she shouldn’t have taken him. She’s not fit to cope.”

The officer stood up, “I’m sorry but there’s not enough evidence. We can’t file a missing person’s report off of your opinions on the boy’s mother.”

Aaron scoffed, watching as the officer walked away before storming out of the station.

-

He’d gone back to the house on the fourth day. Sleep deprived, angry and mostly, upset. He searched for any signs of where a spare key might be, trying not to catch the eye of nosy neighbours in the process.

“If I were Ross, where would I hide a key?” he mumbled to himself as he scanned the front door. “Well I probably wouldn’t even have a spare one I’m that thick.” He amused himself.

After another look, something caught his eye. A bird box. Inside the porch? Now who would have a bird box in the porch?

He opened the little door and as he predicted – a key.

The key fit perfectly in the lock and with a twist and few shoves, the door creaked open, revealing the deserted house. It looked clean, devoid of any clutter it had obtained a few days before. The stairs still creaked as he stepped on them, interrupting the silence of the house.

Aaron opened the door to the boys’ room, finding it almost the exact same as it was the last time – minus the toys and the children.

He walked up to one of the paint splattered walls and saw the writing.

_Seb + James 2025_

Complete with two different sized handprints next to it.

He smiled as he ran his fingers over the small hands printed onto the wall.

The bedside table still had some random clutter on it, mainly just scrap bits if paper or food wrappers. Aaron opened the top drawer, looking for any signs of places they could have gone. As far as Aaron was aware, they hadn’t been on any holidays in years – not since Aaron had known him.

He reached his hand under the bed as he felt something metal clink under his fingernails. The box that Seb had showed him was still there. He picked it up, the open door swinging. The letters and cards were still there.

Angrily, Aaron threw the box onto the bed and let out a frustrated sigh. No clues, nothing. Just some lousy, fake letters and a drawing on the wall.

They were gone. And Aaron couldn’t do anything about it.

-

For the weeks after they’d left, Aaron didn’t have the energy to barely get out of bed, never mind go to work. He’d asked Vinny to do his work for him, making up an excuse and blaming it on having a bug, but promising extra pay.

He’d also been avoiding his mum and paddy. Seeing them as he went to top up on milk at the shop was always the downside to his day. He never expected them to apologise but watching them try to act like nothing had happened made him feel more annoyed than any half assed apology.

That’s why, when Chas came knocking on his door, he groaned and turned up his TV.

He knew it was her. He could tell from her knocking.

She knocked again. And again. She even rang the intercom.

Eventually and reluctantly, he told her where the spare key was and waited for her to turn up at the door, playing the TV loud again.

Once she appeared, he made a point not to look at her. She strolled up to the door but held back.

“Aaron.” She called, stopping in the doorframe.

“What?” he mumbled, still looking at the screen.

“I- uhm.” She started, causing him to moodily look over at her, “Found a stowaway. Looking for you.”

He scrunched his face, confused, but she stepped slightly to her right, leaving space for a messy-haired, tired, eleven-year-old boy to step into view.

Aaron let out a shocked gasp, his eyes widening as he quickly moved his feet from where they were leaning on the coffee table to sit up straight, not taking his eyes off him.

“Seb.” He whispered out, a massive feeling of relief flooding his body.

Seb smiled nervously but his eyes were brimming with tears. He stepped into the flat, walking quickly over to where Aaron was sitting on the sofa and wrapped his arms around his shoulders in a hug.

Aaron hesitantly placed his hands on his back, moving them slowly in a comforting motion. He squeezed his eyes shut, revelling in the feeling of _finally_ having him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!  
> p.s when i was writing this i completely forgot that charity and ross would probably still be in touch and now i don't know where to add it so lets just imagine that they're no longer in touch haha

**Author's Note:**

> the title is from the song 'You are the reason' by Calum Scott :)


End file.
